"DOUBTING THOMAS? The Religious Life and Legacy of Thomas Jefferson" by MARK A. BELILES and JERRY NEWCOMBE deals with the faith---or the lack thereof---of one of our most important founding fathers. But this volume provides NEW information, some of which has not been in print before. To learn more about the book, see www.americapublications.org DOUBTING THOMAS contains previously unpublished documents including a dozen religious letters by Jefferson and two sermons by his pastor Charles Clay. Jefferson voluntarily joined and donated to Clay’s Calvinistical Reformed Church of Charlottesville.
In July 1873, author James Parton wrote a lengthy essay in Atlantic Magazine about the 1800 campaign.[1] Parton shows how religion was an important issue in the ugly 1800 election, pointing out that some of the ministers didn’t shy from speaking out on politics: “The orthodox clergy were not averse, …
In July 1873, author James Parton wrote a lengthy essay in Atlantic Magazine about the 1800 campaign.[1] It is interesting for it provides an analysis by a writer somewhat closer to those events than scholars today, and it attempted to correct some of the inaccurate portrayal of Jefferson in the …
Those who knew Jefferson personally thought that he was a Christian. Most of the critics of his faith or the lack thereof arose after his death. But there were contemporary accusations against Jefferson for supposedly not being a Christian. Many of these accusations, as mentioned in previous blogs, arose during …
Some in Virginia criticized Thomas Cooper (a vociferous Unitarian) being hired at the University of Virginia without questioning Jefferson’s personal faith, and as noted before, no clergyman in Virginia or anywhere south of New York ever criticized Jefferson’s faith in his entire lifetime. However, after Jefferson’s death some historical revisionism …